Sharing a Passion For Fitness

When Ashley asked me to guest post for her while she is on her honeymoon I was stoked! I am so excited for Ashley and her new husband as they start their new life together. My name is Madeline and I blog over at Food, Fitness, and Family about just that! My husband and I just celebrated our third anniversary last month and we have a beautiful 9-month-old daughter. One secret to our success? Sharing a passion for fitness!

I grew up playing basketball, volleyball, tennis, and dancing. My husband Chris plaid football, baseball, and basketball as well as collegiate lacrosse. Staying active and healthy comes second nature to us and is an important part of our lives and relationship. I am a firm believer in that the couples that sweat together, stays together ;)

Why you might ask? Sometimes when one person in a relationship isn’t dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle the person that would like to suffers. It gets easier to slip into an unhealthy lifestyle when your partner is leading just that. This is especially true when one is trying to lose weight. Having a dedicated support system is essential!

Chris and I have always incorporated fitness into our lives as a way of staying connected and having fun. It helps too that we are both SUPER competitive. We spent a large portion of our honeymoon playing beach volleyball in the Bahamas. While most people go to the Caribbean to relax, we were the ones thrilled for the sports. We make regular gym dates together and push each other to achieve more.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized how important having Chris’ support when it comes to fitness is to me. When I had our daughter back in October 2011 I started a weight-loss journey. To be honest, this was the first time in my life I had to lose weight. It was a new and unfamiliar challenge to me and I was nervous. I set a goal for myself to run a half-marathon (my second) at 6-months postpartum. This obviously meant extensive training and long runs on Sunday. Chris isn’t a fan of long-distance running but he decided to sign up for the half-marathon as well and train with me to show his support. Together we conquered up to 10-miles … while pushing a jogging stroller.

It was such an important moment when I crossed that finish line in April. The best part about it? Chris was waiting there for me. Even though we ran the race at different paces he made sure to wait AT the finish line for me to finish. Seeing him there was amazing and meant everything to me. I set out to accomplish a goal and he was there supporting me from my first training run to when I finished. Gosh I love that man!

SO … I highly encourage all of you to incorporate fitness into your relationships. Whether that means taking walks together in the evenings, going on bike rides, or running a half marathon you will learn new things about your partner and increases your chances of living a long, healthy life together at the same time .